Joshua Middleton

My name is Joshua Middleton and I am a HIV+ heterosexual newly diagnosed male from Murrieta, California that is putting a face to this virus. I am an activist, blogger, v-logger, and educator. I am one of millions of people battling this virus day in and day out looking to share my experience in an effort to prevent others from ending up in my same situation.

Joshua Middleton gives an account of his first LGBT+ Pride as an out bisexual man.

Disclaimer: The views represented in this blog are entirely my own and do not represents the thoughts, opinions, views, of any particular organization including those of the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
The day was quickly approaching, it all felt so surreal. A week prior I had taken one of the biggest steps in my life and come out as bisexual to my family, friends, and followers. And now I was taking part in my first ever LGBT+ Pride event in San Diego by marching in the parade in fro

Joshua Middleton is now out as bisexual and feeling good about it. Here Joshua explains how he got to this point.

Yes you read the title correctly; this is my coming out story. I have recently come to the realization and acceptance that I am indeed bisexual and I’m excited to share this new part of my life with all of you.
For years I have had both romantic, sexual feelings, and experiences with those of the same and opposite sex. Up until this moment I have identified as heterosexual because I was still in the process of exploration, discovery, and acceptance of what these feelings and experiences mea

The days pass by and the voices inside my head seem to grow louder and louder. Is my advocacy really making a difference? Am I doing enough? Does anybody really care?
You read the title right. It wasn't a typo, and I didn't misspeak. This is a brief look into my life as an HIV advocate who battles anxiety and depression. I've spoken about mental health before, and while many times I speak from a "third-person perspective," today, I would like to speak from a "first-person perspective." That

Joshua Middleton tells of how he addressed self-stigma and maintained a sexual identity post-diagnosis.

To read the entire article by Joshua Middleton, visit TheBody.com, here.
An image of the moment I was diagnosed HIV positive remains vivid in my mind. The feelings and emotions that ran through my body like a lightening bolt that day are not easily forgotten. They will be with me forever, as will my feeling of infectiousness upon hearing the words that have played in my mind like a broken record all these years: "Josh, I am sorry, but you are HIV positive." I remember telling myself that

Joshua Middleton: "Christians have put nation before kingdom, and that is a big reason why Trump will be our 45th president."

It’s now well known across the world that the United States recently elected Donald J. Trump to be its 45th president. Emotions are running high, not only within the HIV community, but also within communities across the globe, as we grapple what the future holds for our country. His presidency came as a surprise to many, especially in light of polls that overwhelmingly favored his opponent, democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, as the projected winner.
I’ll be the first to say that Trump wa

Culturally, this virus remains a highly stigmatized and hush-hush subject within the Latinx community, as Josh Middleton explains.

This article previously appeared at TheBody, here. It also appears on Joshua’s own blog, PozitiveHope, here.
“Si se puede” or “yes, one can,” a term coined by Dolores Huerta, could be heard in speeches by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in the early 1970s. It’s a slogan that not only served to unify Latinx people, namely Mexican Americans, but also raised awareness around the plight of farm workers.
It is still used almost 40 years later for various causes. Little

From physical activity to keeping a pet, Joshua Middleton with a plan of action from one who knows about the condition well - and what to do about it

This blog was published for The Body and original weblink for article can be found by clicking here. It also appears on Joshua’s own blog here.
A plan of action to combat depression is necessary. While we may never be cured of this condition, we can take steps to suppress it. Some of these things may make us feel uncomfortable or at times seem downright pointless; however, I promise the more you do to actively combat your depression, the better you are going to feel in the long run.
As

“We need to raise awareness about the other epidemic—depression” says Joshua Middleton

I am HIV-positive and, yes, I also live with depression. That’s right, I said it. The big “D” word that no one wants to say. Let me share with you my perspective on an epidemic possibly far bigger than any we have ever faced before.
On a recent trip, as I bicycled over the Golden Gate Bridge, the reality of what has become such a taboo subject really hit home. The architectural masterpiece that is visited by swarms of tourists a year also sits above a graveyard where thousands have suc

"... we can all play a part in this fight. Let’s not put each other down but rather build each other up," says Joshua Middleton

Speechless… That was my first reaction when I glanced down at my laptop screen and saw the following comment appear on my Twitter feed.
It was in response to a photo I had posted in support of The Bow Tie Movement Campaign; a grassroots initiative seeking to raise awareness for heterosexual HIV-positive men. The words that first caught my attention were "knife" and "neck". Was this someone reaching out for help or yet another stigmatizing comment from someone looking to put others living

" We don’t just let doctors treat us. We have to teach them how we want to be treated," says Joshua Middleton and here are five tips for doing just that.

Bridging the gap with your health care team can seem like a daunting task. After all, they are the experts who spent years of life in school and have all the answers. Right? It’s natural to sense an us vs them mentality however this is not how the relationship should function. As the old saying goes there is no “I” in team and this is especially true in the world of health care.
Each individual member of your health care team has a unique role. From you the patient to the doctor, nur

"It was the trip of a lifetime for me. A time to rejuvenate," says Joshua Middleton

The vastness and beauty of nature is something that has mystified mankind from the beginning of time. It’s as if by seeing the wonders of the world, we see the beauty inside ourselves.
Most recently, I experienced this feeling as the annual HIV Poz Cruise joined forces with the Adventure Bears, a social group of gay and bear friendly men. Together we explored the last frontier, the great state of Alaska. Although not the typical cruising location that you might have pictured in your mind, i

Straight poz guy Josh Middleton says, "Our tunnel vision strategic approach has blinded us to the serious situation in which we find ourselves."

The reality is that we are in the middle of a mental health crisis, the stakes could never be higher, and our lives are on the line. We are focusing on the exterior rather than the interior and quantity over quality. Our tunnel vision strategic approach has blinded us to the serious situation in which we find ourselves.
Contributor to TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com; and author of “Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery”, Dr. David Fawcett (PhD, LSCW), provided pro

Straight poz guy Joshua Middleton and The Untold Story of Shame Amongst Straight Men

When you think of someone living with HIV, you probably don’t think of a story like mine, right?
My (poz) heterosexual community is an unheard voice, one that is often silent by choice. HIV awareness has been left to already ostracized groups within our society, such as the gay community. Although HIV affects us all, as seen in my previous blog “Straight Up: Why the Heterosexual Story Matters”, it seems others have been left to carry the weight of this epidemic.
We hear the stories

Straight poz guy Joshua Middleton says his is part of a minority group in North America and “the rate of rising infections may not be as high as other groups, however it is still a concern

The 23rd annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) provided deeper insights into the pathology of HIV and the challenges the HIV community faces in controlling new infections. The conference covered everything from the first known seroconversion of an individual on PrEP to concerning statistics about trends in already high-risk groups significantly affected by HIV. While confronted with the thought of possibly 50% of black gay men and one in four gay Latino men bei

Joshua Middleton writes, with Nancy Reagan’s death, on “The End of the Reagan Era”

The death of former first lady Nancy Reagan marked the end of an important chapter in American history.
While social media has been buzzing with the news, and the nation mourns her passing, a different sentiment is present throughout our HIV community. For many who are positive, this marks a step forward. A farewell to an ideology that was responsible for thousands of deaths, both men and women, devastated by the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s.
It’s an image that remains vivid for so ma